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Forum:20: The Plague Doctor
The group, though wary of the guerrilla tactics employed by Desheterya of the Dead Dragons, opted to press forward through the Plague Zone, noting that as a group they were incredibly easy to trace owing to the footprints they were leaving behind in freshly-fallen snow. However, thanks to their skilled employment of all the magical tools in their arsenal, and a little luck in dodging the patrols from the Silver Eagle and moving through a white-out blizzard, they were able to arrive at their destination with little harassment from their pursuer. Close to their destination, they saw a fenced-in compound containing a few watchtowers and a bevy of glass buildings, and a hole in the (discovered to be electrified) fence granted them entry. On arrival, they were ambushed once more by D4, who seemed more determined to hold the line here. Though the masked assailant held a distinct advantage due to familiarity with the terrain and the employment of various traps, magical implements and zip-lines, D4 was eventually overcome by the group's tenacity and forced to flee for the last time. However, they found a note from the leader, D1, on site. It indicated that D4 had requested reinforcements but was denied them by High Command, and that D1 instructed his subordinate to evacuate the "compound" and to ensure "Illyushin" was "gone" if he refused to leave. As to the invaders, D4 was to attempt to steer them off-course or prevent them from making progress, but was to retreat if the tide of battle turned unfavourable. The group opted to investigate the compound further and found another dressed much like D4 present on-site. However, once he spotted the party, he simply shrieked loudly and attempted to retreat into an underground bunker, screaming all the while. Lin chased him down and tripped him up, getting him to stop and lead them through the facility safely. Taking them through decontamination to see the "Doctor", the frightened fellow introduced himself as Tolya, and informed the group that he was the only remaining research assistant on-site, under the employ of Dr. Illyushin. Dr. Illyushin, a man similarly dressed but much older-sounding, introduced himself to the group as Aleksey, and claimed responsibility for the existence of the Plague Zone. Apparently it was intended to develop an effective virus, or series of viruses, to be employed against the Drow under the earth, but it was met with little success given the drow's apparent expertise in dealing with germ warfare. Dr. Illyushin, however, was expected to continue his project even as funds and personnel were siphoned away to a secretive project headed by "Dr. Vavilov", an expert in "Neuroanatomy". Thus, the Plague Zone rapidly expanded to include the surrounding forest as the normal protocols on-base broke down, and the site was being treated as a defensive barrier guarded by D4. The research specimens had dwindled and the latest evacuation order resulted in the facility being left to Illyushin and Tolya, and they expressed a displeasure at the current state of affairs. However, Illyushin was apparently convinced that his niece, Sasha, was currently being held hostage or at least her whereabouts were known to the elven military, and as such wanted some guarantee that she was alive before leaving his post... The rewards from the last mission are as follows: 5000 exp each for the successful traversal of the Plague Zone and defeat of D4.